The legal work was careful because the aim was recognition, not unraveling the stability of his life.

One afternoon, Austin sat beside me as I signed an affidavit describing the delivery and everything I recalled afterward.

“Does it feel different to write it down?” he asked.

“It feels like someone finally asked me what happened instead of telling me.”

He read the final paragraph and paused.

“You wrote that you loved us both from the moment we were born.”

“I did.”